EDITORIAL

In reviewing the statistics on child abuse provided by the Child Care Board four years ago, cases of sexual abuse against the child were at their lowest, at the same time the highest number of cases of neglected children were recorded. Figures obtained from the Child Care Board revealed that cases of child neglect were at their highest in the 2010 to 2011 period, reaching 690, and were at their lowest in the 2005-2006 period at 481. The report went on to say that conversely, cases for sexual abuse were at the lowest at 165 in the 2010-2011 period and highest at 268 in the 2001-2008 period. Therefore, the harsh reality seemed to be that a child in Barbados, at some point in time, was, sadly, either being neglected or abused. Fast forward to 2016, several publicised cases of child abuse have left many in this island and abroad astounded. 

 

We agree that every case that remains is one too many. It must stop as it constitutes one of the most heinous crimes, crime against one of the most vulnerable groups in society. The fact that these figures are based solely on reported cases and most likely do not accurately represent the full scope of abuse occurrences, continues to suggest that our fight against child abuse and our need to bring greater sensitisation are of utmost importance.

 

It would be remiss of us to not take this opportunity to remind our readers that children, like adults, have rights too. 

 

The Convention on the rights of a child, as set out under UNICEF, spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. According to the organisation’s website, the four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child.

 

“Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child.” Reminded of these rights, it is our humble opinion that parents who desist from assisting law enforcement in providing evidence which would bring perpetrators before the courts, are in great error and risk belittling the gravity of any acts of abuse. We understand that when considering a minor child, there will be the concern that the process of court can be lengthy and traumatic for a young child. However, can the “trauma” experienced, be anything compared to that of being physically violated, having their minds and bodies ravaged, in most cases by someone they know? Is it comparable to the trauma of being driven to steal because they are not being fed, or being driven to associate with undesirable company because they are not being supervised? We think not, and urge parents, teachers, relatives and neighbours that the time to speak out is now. Further, with the wide use of social media, the affected children can suffer pain and suffering on a much larger scale. There is no point in delaying, only reserving our comments for when seeds of hurt and violence have come full term and have given birth to their devastating fruit.

 

Speaking to the proposal to shift away from “child month” to “family month” as to better deal with the child in the context of the family, we hope that this does not curtail efforts to bound ourselves to the duties outlined under the above-mentioned convention, notably by subtracting the role of para-familial entities from the equation of child upbringing.